Fashola, Mimiko laud MTNF skills project

With the inauguration of facilities donated by the MTN Foundation to four technical colleges under its Youth Skills Development Project (YSDP), the governors of Lagos and Ondo states, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and Dr Segun Mimiko are optimistic that more youths will be gainfully employed.

The foundation, which is the Corporate Social Investment vehicle of MTN Nigeria, upgraded the workshops of technical colleges in Ondo, Lagos, Kaduna and Sokoto.

The beneficiaries’ schools are: Government Technical College, Ikorodu, Lagos, Government Technical College, Owo, Ondo, Malali Government Technical College, Kaduna and Government Technical College, Farufaru, Sokoto. While Ondo and Lagos have been inaugurated, those in Kaduna and Sokoto are to be launched this or next month.

The MTNF YSDP intervention project involved the refurbishment of laboratories in the beneficiary schools in six skill areas: electrical installation and maintenance, instrumentation mechanics, refrigeration and air conditioning, furniture design and construction, plumbing and pipe fitting, fabrication and welding. The laboratories have also been fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and furniture installation.

In addition to the facility upgrade, the foundation trained the teachers and students on the use of the equipment and will provide one year post-handover technical support to the colleges.

At the inauguration of the project in Government Technical College, Ikorodu, Fashola thanked the foundation and other partners for complementing government’s efforts to reinvigorate technical education. He lamented that foreigners usually get jobs that should be taken up by skilled Nigerians, a situation he said would be reversed if technical and vocational education gets the requisite attention.

“The importance of technical and vocational schools cannot be overemphasised because they provide the country with the requisite skilled workforce in every conceivable vocation. We are happy that MTN Foundation believes in the idea of revamping technical schools around the country,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Mimiko of Ondo State said MTNF’s investment in TVE would contribute to improving the country’s economy.

“MTN Foundation has identified an important aspect of education that is required to move the economy of the nation forward and they are complementing government’s efforts to uplift this sector of education. Your assistance is commendable and it would lead to the building of capacity for students making them competent and employable,” he said.

The Chairman, MTN Nigeria, Dr. Pascal Dozie, said the YSDP is aimed at improving entrepreneurship skills of young people.

He said: “Youth Skills Development Project was conceived from MTN’s recognition of the importance of empowering the Nigerian youth. The project is aligned with the Federal Government’s efforts to raise the level of entrepreneurial skill acquisition as this will boost technological advancement, which MTN also recognises as a major driver of socio-economic development.”